Passionate Perserverance
by theretrogamer224
Summary: My first attempt at writing a fan fiction story. It is going to center around the relationship of Aang and Katara as a special period of their lives begins.
1. Chapter 1

Passionate Perseverance

**Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction for Avatar the Last Airbender. Please write a review telling me how I did and whether I should make this into a series. Also, send me a message if you want to give me direct advice. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respected owners.**

It was a calm spring morning around dawn. The sun had just risen over the horizon as the rays of light were just beginning to pierce over the mountains in the distance. Most people were still asleep at this time of the day, but not Aang. He had always been an early riser as it was a habit that had stuck with him since a few years back. He had only woken up a few minutes ago and was still lying in bed next to his girlfriend, Katara.

He gazed upon her with a half-smile upon his face pondering how fortunate he was to be with her. Surely she would refute the thought by saying that she is the lucky one, but that was not how Aang ever saw it. He did not wish to wake her up from her slumber, but he knew that both himself and Katara had various errands and other low importance business to attend to. On that note, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips along with a slight nudge.

She slowly started to move around and then began to open her eyes. She was happy with the sight of her boyfriend waking her up.

"Good morning, sweetie," Aang said softly.

"It was so nice of you to wake me up at dawn," Katara stated in a sarcastic yet playful tone.

"Well, you know. We have things to do and I was hoping we could both do them together."

Katara smiled at the proposition of spending the day with her most beloved boyfriend. "I'd be happy to help you Aang, as long as we do something special once the work is completed."

"Of course! I already had a nice date planned for us in the evening," replied Aang with the utmost enthusiasm.

Both of them then got out of bed and started to wash up and put on their clothing for the day before preparing breakfast. They both would need their energy as they had a big day ahead of them in the city of Ba Sing Se.

While Aang helped with preparing the meal he began to zone out and ponder where life had taken him since the end of the Hundred Year War. He was currently at the age of 17 with Katara being 19 years of age. None of the members of the original group were in Ba Sing Se at the moment, however they did visit on occasion. Katara longed to settle back in at her home in the South Pole, but the duties of the Avatar kept them from living there. Instead, Aang had to overlook the creation of his "United Republic" and make sure that his new city would be created without problems. Once that was all finished, then he hoped to be able to settle down with Katara.

Aang was snapped out of his daydream whe he began to smell his vegetables burning. He quickly took them off of the heat and threw them away. No matter, he would just eat nuts and fruits for breakfast. Luckily the eggs he had prepared for Katara were not burned and he finished seasoning them for when she came downstairs. He heard the vibrations on the stairwell and set the table.

"So," said Katara, "What errands do we need to run?"

"Well, we need to visit the market place for some fruits and vegetables along with some meats and we need some new clothing as some of my garments have started to rip," stated Aang.

"That shouldn't take too long. And when we're done we have the rest of the day to spend with each other!"

On that note, they cleaned up the table and headed out towards the market. It was a quaint morning with most of the shops open for business. By now, the sun was much higher in the sky and it had warmed up significantly. Aang and Katara got their shopping done at a leisurely pace as they were in no hurry. They had finished all of their errands by mid-afternoon, giving Aang enough time to mentally prepare for what he was about to do. Aang was in no way a bold and brash character, but if he felt the time was right, he would act. His idea for proposing to her in front of the moonlit pond outside of their house in Ba Sing Se seemed like the right thing to do on this day. Still, he was nervous about asking Katara to be his fiancée. He knew Katara loved him, yet he feared that she was not ready yet and would turn him down. Regardless, all he could do was wait and see.

The sun was well below the horizon and the stars and moon had started to become visible. Aang and Katara had spent most of the day taking walks and even went to a restaurant for dinner. Aang decided about an hour after dinner to take Katara to the pond. Once they arrived, Katara gasped at the beauty the water was displaying. It was as if all the light and constellations of the cosmos had been copied directly onto the surface of the pond.

"Aang, it's so beautiful!" Katara remarked.

"Not as beautiful as you, Katara," Aang stated coolly as he witnessed his girlfriend blush from the remark.

They both started to get closer to each other as Aang placed his arms around her hips and Katara placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Katara, there is something I have been wanting to ask you for a while now," Aang asked quietly, looking deep into her aqua blue eyes.

"What is it?" Katara asked slightly confused.

"Well, I've loved you for a while. More like over 4 years actually. And since we have been dating for so long and I cannot live without you, I only have one thing to ask."

Aang then got down and, kneeling on one knee, revealed a new necklace similar to the one her mother had passed on to her.

"Will you marry me, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Yes! Of course Aang!" Katara immediately replied while shedding a tear of joy. They proceeded to share a hug and a very warm embrace. Right before they pulled apart, Aang kissed Katara passionately. They held the kiss for many seconds, their tongues lightly brushing by each other while they entered each other's mouth. They savored the moment and the fact that they would never be apart for the remainder of their lives.

**As I said earlier, please leave me a review as it will help me a lot and tell me if I should add more on and make this a series. Thanks for all of your time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone thanks for the reviews that you guys had posted. They do help me improve my writing skills and for that I decided to write another chapter already! I hope you all enjoy and remember to leave another review telling me what I should do better next time. Also, PM me any suggestions for the series. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 2

The soft rays of light gently broke through the window on the east side of the room as they illuminated the setting. It was well past dawn as the sun rose quite high into the clear blue sky, yet Aang and Katara were still sound asleep. It was unusual for either to be sleeping in so late, but understandable. After all, the date they shared the past day had been quite passionate, and they did not retire to their bed until well past midnight. Regardless, they had enjoyed every moment of it, and both were ecstatic about their futures being intertwined forever.

Aang slowly woke up, hearing the sounds of people taking strolls outside and the chirping of afternoon birds. He then suddenly bolted out of bed as he realized that he had an important council meeting with the ambassadors of the other three nations today. Aang was, in fact, an ambassador representing the Air Nomads, for obvious reasons of course. Mostly all of the other representatives were boring old men and Aang was not looking forward to the meetings. He still had to attend and that was precisely why he was so hectic all of the sudden.

Katara had immediately felt the disturbance in the bed from when Aang jolted out. She looked around, slightly confused, thinking about why on Earth her fiancée was rushing to get ready so fast.

_Fiancée_. She did not even realize that she had used that word in thought until now. Was she really ready to spend the rest of her life with Aang, let alone any one man? She knew it was a big commitment, but deep down she knew he was the only person she could ever marry. It was an unexplainable feeling she held about him, one that transcended friendship and conventional relationships. She knew that the decision she had made last night was one of the best, if not the best decision in her life. Finally, she snapped out of her train of thought and decided to ask why Aang was in such a hurry.

"Well someone is eager to rise and shine today," Katara said sarcastically.

"Yeah, sorry about waking you up, sweetie. I totally forgot about a meeting with the council today and I'm already going to be late. I'll see you soon though," Aang said will almost out the door.

"Wait!" Katara shouted, hoping he had heard the plea. Aang came back inside to listen to Katara. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it Katara?" Aang replied.

"It's about last night, with your… proposal…" she said while nearly turning beat red after hearing what that sounded like.

Aang had started to blush too. "What about last night? Have you changed your mind? I'm really sorry if I put pressure on you – "

"Aang, let me finish," Katara interrupted, "Last night I made one of the biggest decisions of my life, and I just want you to know that it was definitely the right decision. I don't ever want to leave your side, and I want to be there for you, always. I love you Aang."

"I love you too Katara," Aang said softly. They immediately shared a kiss, holding their embrace for a few seconds before Aang pulled away. "I really need to go now sweetie, but I promise it won't be too terribly long."

On that note, Aang immediately left, walking at a steady pace towards the Palace. He had a warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart, and he was extremely happy he had waited to talk to Katara. He stayed in this mental state all the way to the Palace. He entered through the big entrance and found his way to a chamber in the back where they would be meeting. He found the room and opened the door. Inside were the rest of the councilmen along with the Earth King. Aang had interrupted one of the Avatar a less than warm welcome.

"Nice of you to join us Avatar Aang," The man said with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry everyone, I had gone to sleep very late last night and overslept this morning. Please, I didn't mean to interrupt," Aang replied apologetically.

"Well now that we are all here, allow me to continue. As I was saying, we have some major projects to accomplish if we want this city built on time. If we continue our current allocation of certain minerals – "

The man seemed to blabber on incessantly on matters that the Avatar could care less about. He continued to muse about what he would do now that he was engaged. How would he have a wedding planned? He needed to inform all of his old friends obviously. Katara and Aang both would most likely have the wedding at the South Pole at her home, but Aang worried about how to get away from Ba Sing Se for awhile. He then decided that the only thing he could do was take a leave of absence, and he would declare that he was leaving tomorrow for the Southern Water Tribe at the end of the council meeting. He knew no one would be happy and most would scoff at his reason, but he needed to get away for awhile with Katara. Not to mention the fact that he needed to started planning these things as soon as possible.

Aang waited until it was right before the council was adjourned to speak. As people were just about to get up to leave, he stood up calling for everyone's attention.

"Wait everyone, I have an important announcement to make," Aang said, taking in the puzzled looks of the other ambassadors at him. "I have recently had personal matters arise in my life and I shall be taking a leave of absence starting tomorrow. I do not know for how long it will be, but it must be done."

An ambassador from the water tribe stood up to rebuke him, "Avatar Aang, we need you here for the next few years at least. The matters we will be facing about uniting the nations and the creation of your capital cannot be done without your knowledge and wisdom."

"You must understand, I am not just doing this for myself, but for another one that I care about most. I'm not asking for permission from the council to leave, I am simply stating that I am leaving." Aang saw the shocked looks on everyone's faces as they could not fathom how to carry on matters without the Avatar present. "Look, this shouldn't take too long. I know you need a vote from at least one ambassador from each nation in order for a measure to pass, so if there is a problem, simply send a messenger hawk to the South Pole. However, make sure it is urgent and an emergency as I need to be alone during this trip. Now, I really should be going."

Aang then got up and walked out of the chamber doors immediately. He rushed back to his and Katara's house as fast as he could. It was a little before sunset, as he could still see the sun about half way from the horizon. He opened the door to his house and was greeted by the person he wanted to see the most at the moment.

"Hey there," Katara said in a nonchalant voice.

"Hey guess what? It's my turn to tell you something today," Aang replied, alluding to the conversation Katara had with him in the morning.

"What is it?" She asked quizzically.

"So I told the council that I am taking a break in order to travel to the Southern Water Tribe with you. I decided since we are engaged and all that we should go to your home to make it official."

"Aang that's amazing!" Katara sprang at him giving him a warm and endearing hug. "I've missed my home so much and I finally get to see my Dad and Gran Gran again."

Aang smiled at her, and added on another piece of news. "I also thought since Kyoshi Island and Toph's Metalbending Academy is en route to the South Pole that we should also pick up Sokka and Toph along the way."

Katara liked the idea and responded with an affirmative "That sounds awesome Aang!" She then bent over and gave him a kiss. "Thank you so much for all of this."

Aang was happy with the reaction he got from his girlfriend. "We will leave tomorrow sometime after noon in order to get packed and get supplies," He informed her.

"Well, let's go get some rest then sweetie," She said with a warm tone.

Aang and Katara then headed to their bed. It was fairly early to get rest, but the sun had gone below the Earth's horizon. They would need their rest, but not before the couple would lie down together and share some many longed for kisses, as their hearts beat close together and they had each other within an embrace. They had another wonderful night, and they could never imagine a life without each other.

**Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review as it helps a lot! See you guys next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone sorry for this chapter being posted so much later. I had hoped to get content out sooner, but I was really waiting for my new laptop to arrive and now that it has I can write stories more consistently! Anyways, onto the story guys. Tell me if you enjoy it and please leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 3

The cool, refreshing feeling of the spring air was apparent again in the early morning. It was just past dawn as Aang started to wake up. He rustled slightly in place and then started to slowly open his eyes. The first thing he saw when they opened was Katara, sleeping peacefully in his arms. He wished he could have preserved the moment longer, but alas he knew the things he needed to get done before they left that afternoon.

He started to slowly get out and was able to successfully leave their bed without disturbing her. Once out, he went to get washed up and dressed. He then left to go buy various supplies for their journey. While visiting the different shops, Aang thought to himself about the trip they were about to take. He was anxious yet excited for this opportunity. He was glad to get a break from the constant council meetings and everyday city life that had started feeling monotonous. The idea of having a prolonged stay with Katara and his friends made him feel happy. As he broke out of the daydream he was in he finished up the sale he made and headed back home. He figured Katara would most likely be awake by now. He opened the door, went upstairs and, just as he had suspected, she was in the washroom getting ready for the day. Aang put down the supplies and groceries he had in his hands and walked towards the closed door.

"Make sure you are all ready by this afternoon! We have to be very punctual if we want to get to Toph's Metalbending Academy by the end of the day today," Aang said through the door.

"I know Aang, don't worry about me. I'll be done before you know it. When have I ever been known to take that long?" Katara replied.

"Well… you know how women can be with getting ready –"

"What's that suppose to mean?!" she said with a somewhat agitated voice.

"Oh settle down, sweetie. I was merely poking fun at you. After all, I need to prepare you for Sokka's seemingly sexist remarks again."

Aang could hear Katara sigh at him with a hint of derision. He knew how to press her buttons and that she wasn't really mad. That was partially why he enjoyed teasing her every once in a while. He had had enough with messing with her and decided to leave the room. He stopped right before exiting and turned again to tell her one last thing.

"Katara I'll be downstairs getting some final preparations ready. When you finish in there just come down and help me pack things up," Aang spoke to her from the other side of the room.

"Well in that case, I'll try not to take forever, as _you know how women can be with getting ready_," she said with a sassy but still playful voice.

"Oh I was just kidding! You know I'd never be as bad as Sokka is towards women. You would sooner waterbend my dead body to the bottom of the ocean before you'd put up with that." Aang said with his own hint of sass.

"Don't you have some important packing things to be doing?" She replied lightheartedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going now. See you down here soon," Aang said finally and then went down to the first floor of his house.

He went through the many supplies and packed them up and sorted them. He finished well before noon and Katara had started to help within 30 minutes. They left at about noon on their way to Toph's place of residence. They knew the trip would take the better part of the day and the trip itself was very peaceful. Aang and Katara both sat on Appa's head, while the saddle was mainly just used to carry their entire luggage. They arrived at the Metalbending Academy right before sunset. When they landed, they immediately dismounted and ran into the school building. Surprisingly, Toph had a class going on at the moment. They stood back and watched as she harassed her various students.

"You call that metalbending?! I'm pretty sure the wind could move metal farther than you can!" She exclaimed at one of her pupils.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I'll try harder…" the kid replied. He was quite afraid of Toph, which she admired very much.

Before she responded, she finally acknowledged the two people that she felt were standing in the hallway watching them. She could recognize these two people from nearly a mile away. After all, when you spend nearly half a year with a group of people who have saved your life numerous times, one tends to get very well acquainted with their presence. Before greeting them, she decided it would be best to dismiss her class first.

"Okay everyone class is dismissed. Be back here tomorrow morning and make sure you practice the techniques I taught you, unless you want to have to duel me in metalbending," she threatened.

Everyone filed out the building immediately, all of them having an expression of relief on their faces. Toph then immediately walked up to Katara and Aang and a group hug formed. After they had disbanded, they started to catch up with each other.

"Twinkle Toes! Sugar Queen! I haven't seen you in forever!" Toph exclaimed, "How's everything been going between you two lovebirds anyways?"

"Well, we both came here to tell you something important about us that we figured you would like to know," Katara said. She then nodded her head at Aang to cue for him to tell her.

"Right, Katara and I are officially engaged as of last two nights ago!" Aang said with glee.

"Wow, I am a little taken back, over yet… I'm not surprised. I knew you two would be together forever, even if your cuteness does disgust me at times," Toph said in a sincere and lighthearted manner.

"We also came to ask if you wanted to accompany us to the South Pole. You see, we haven't told Katara's dad or Sokka for that matter, and we were hoping you'd like to come along and help with all the planning that goes into a wedding," Aang stated.

"Ugh, anything to get a break from these kids. I swear, they make me wonder if they are even benders sometimes," Toph said, "Regardless, I would love to come along to rough you too up some. I know you guys have gotten soft since I left." Toph had a smirk on her face after stating the comment.

"Oh we'd love to have some Toph persona filled journeys again!" Aang said.

"We were also hoping that you'd possibly have an extra room for us to stay for the night?" Katara asked.

"Of course Sugar Queen. You can take your stuff up to the first room on the left upstairs. Make yourselves comfortable you two," Toph said.

"Thank you so much Toph!" Katara replied.

"Yeah, just try to keep your heartbeats at a somewhat relaxed pace. I swear sleeping in the same building as you two sounds like a stampede at times…" Toph stated.

Katara and Aang blushed. "Hey we aren't that bad with our heart rates," Katara said defensively.

"Oh cool it, I was merely making fun of you. Anyways I'm sure it's been a long day for the both of you. How about you go get your stuff and rest," Toph instructed.

So they did as they were told and brought the belongings they needed for the night up to the room. The young couple got ready for bed, climbed into their bed together, shared one deep and satisfying kiss, and then went promptly asleep.

Out in the bushes surrounding the academy, there could be seen a pair of hazel eyes. They pierced through the cool night setting and the moonlight as they stared at the lit room of the newly sealed couple. They thought their troubles had been tossed away, they imagined that no one could still be trying to destroy them. If only they knew what trials and tests awaited them, testing their love, courage and faith.

**I wonder who the person in the bushes could be? Stay tuned to figure out, I wanted to leave a cliffhanger to see how you guys would react! Anyways tell me how it was, leave a review, I know it wasn't a very interesting chapter but I'm trying to set up a story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews as they help like always. I heard that there was not enough Kataang in the last chapter so I put some more in this one! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 4

Everyone got up bright and early the following day anticipating the journey they had in front of them. They knew it would be a little ways to Kyoshi Island where Sokka and Suki both resided. While Aang and Katara mainly wanted to go there to get Sokka, they both liked Suki a lot too and wanted to catch up with both of them equally. As everyone arose they got up, cleaned their living spaces and packed up any supplies they had there. Toph, as usual, did not take long at all to get ready as she was not one for being pristine in her hygiene. Toph was waiting for the young couple to get ready as she impatiently was tapping her foot. She could feel the ground around her, and she listened for vibrations in the ground to see if she could feel their heartbeats. In a way she slightly considered it eavesdropping, even though she could not tell what exactly they could be doing. Soon enough she felt the rumbling of their hearts and immediately she wondered what they could be doing right now that would cause them to be that anxious?

Aang and Katara were finishing up packing their few belongings in the room and were all ready to leave. Aang was about to be the first one out of the door, but right before he made it out into the hallway, Katara stopped him abruptly.

"Aang, wait… I have something I want to talk to you about…" She said in more than usual quiet voice.

"What is it sweetie?" Aang replied with a bit of apprehension in his voice. He wondered what she could have to say that would make her so timid all of the sudden.

"Well since I know we won't have really any amount of privacy for the rest of the day, I wanted to ask you a question that had been at the back of my mind even before you had proposed to me. I was wondering, are we going to you… you know… have kids when we're married?" Katara now had a slight blush on her face from asking. She knew what action had to be done in order to create human life, and she was always afraid to ask if they would even want children with the fact that he was the Avatar and all.

"Katara, of course I want to have children. I would find it completely crazy to not want to have children with the girl I love more than anyone else," Aang said sincerely to her. He truly did want to have kids, no matter what his world duties called for. He always struggled with the idea of being a father and having to fulfill that role. In fact, in some ways the thought of being a dad was more terrifying than the idea of being the Avatar. At least he knew how to be the Avatar.

The couple then started to get closer together and soon enough both Aang and Katara were in each other's arms. They smiled at each other, and before they had time to react they shared a kiss. Their lips opened up and before either of them knew it both of their tongues had went forth into the other's mouth. They explored each other, holding onto this moment for nearly a minute. After about one minute they pulled away from each other and simply had an amazing smile on their faces as they walked towards the exit. They had flung their luggage over their shoulders so that they could hold each other's hand as they went out to Toph.

Toph, after waiting nearly 20 minutes for Aang and Katara, was quite annoyed by how long they had taken. She honestly had no clue why it would take them that long just to get some luggage. Either way, she thought it to be a good time to harass them about it.

"So, what were the two lovebirds up to?" Toph asked in an impatient but friendly voice.

"Oh just packing things as usual," Aang said nonchalantly.

"Oh _sure_ your were, with both of your hearts beating at a thousand beats per minute it _really_ sounded like 'just packing things,'" Toph said teasing them.

Both Aang and Katara blushed at the comment and then Katara jumped in trying to defend them. "Toph it was not what you are hinting at! We just… were talking is all."

"Yeah, you guys must be some slow 'talkers,'" Toph replied again with a smirk on her face. She could tell they were getting embarrassed so she decided to let up. "Oh calm down you two; I was just having some fun. Now let's get going! We're losing daylight."

On that note, they loaded the rest of the supplies onto Appa and then boarded him. Next stop, Kyoshi Island!

It was nearly sunset and the threesome was still flying. Knowing the night would be upon them soon, they decided to land and set up camp. They unpacked the rest of the supplies and got a fire started along with pitching a tent. Once everything was ready for the night, they prepared dinner and sat around the fire. This of course had a very nostalgic feeling for all three of the young benders. They started to share campfire stories, everyone listening attentively to the scary tales. Everyone was so engrossed in the moment that they were completely oblivious to their surroundings.

The clearing in the forest that they landed at was completely dark other than the one bright spot that marked their camp. There was a small pond for water on the far side of the clearing opposite of the camp, with a field all in the clearing. The field was surrounding by various trees, all massive and stretching up to the stars and the heavens. One could even hear the sound of insects and rustling leaves. Beyond the trees, staring in on the group of young adults was a mysterious figure, dressed in an all black suit with only a slit for the figure's eyes. They were a deep tarnished hazel color that glowed like the last embers of a dying fire. This silhouette simply stared in on the group that was laughing and enjoying themselves. The shadow knew now was not the time to strike, that this person must wait for the rest of their group to be together. Then, this mysterious figure will fight and confront the group. There was unfinished business with this hazel-eyed figure, and the person did not plan on letting it go.

**Well I hope you liked it! The mystery behind the one person's identity is still a mystery, but I assure you it will be revealed soon! Leave me a review telling me what you liked/hated, they help me out a lot! Take care everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the shorter chapter last time. This chapter, however, is bit longer and I am very proud of it. Plus, it starts to get the ball rolling with my actual plot. Anyways, no more hints, just read on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 5

It was daybreak and the crew was still asleep. Soon enough, however, Aang started to feel the warmth of the sun upon his cheek and started to wake up. He opened his eyes and looked at Katara, still sound asleep. He smiled and stayed as he was inside his tent. He lied down on the makeshift bed they had and put his arms around her. He wished that moments like these would last forever. Alas, he decided that it would be best to start to pack up. He figured he should wake her so he did it in the best way possible: He bent his neck over and kissed her softly on the lips. Once he pulled back he saw her rustle a bit with a smile upon her face too. She opened her eyes and looked right into the gray spheres that were watching her. Katara then got up and gave Aang another hug.

"Well someone sure knows how to wake a girl up," Katara said with her arms around his neck.

"I wanted to say good morning is all," he replied holding her close. He let go after a couple seconds. "Mind giving me a hand with cleaning up and packing? I was hoping we'd leave soon after dawn."

"Sounds like a plan," she said, beginning to fold the sheets that made up their bed. Aang started to pick up some various items they had left on the floor. Soon enough they had everything packed and started on the tent. They took out the stakes that held it up and folded up the tent itself. Once all this was completed, they realized only one thing was left to resolve: Toph. She had stayed in a tent made out of Earth that she bent. They placed the remainder of their supplies onto Appa's saddle and then went over to wake her up. Aang tapped her on the shoulder.

"What is it Twinkle Toes?" she said with an aggravated tone.

"It's time to leave Toph. We need to hit the road."

"Ugh, why do you guys always wake up so early? I thought I'd never have to deal with this early rising stuff once we defeated Ozai," Toph said, slowly rising and walking over to Appa.

The travelers were flying over the rich forest with the sun just barely over the horizon. Toph sat in the saddle while Aang and Katara sat together on Appa's head. This was becoming a usual routine for whenever the couple rode together. It was not that they were attached in a malevolent way, as they had periods in their relationship where Aang had to go away for months at a time for council duties. Rather, it was they never knew if something would happen that could claim either of their lives. Neither of them wanted to harbor the thought of the other dying, but they realized it was very possible that it could happen. Afterall, Aang was the Avatar and Katara was a world renowned waterbender. People always wished to try to hurt those in power, and for that reason they wished to spend as much time as possible as they did not want to feel regret in the event of one of them passing away.

They rode for pretty much the whole day, only stopping when one of them needed to use the restroom (even though there are no restrooms in the wilderness). They began to fly over water and they knew that Kyoshi Island was very close. Just as the sun was setting on the horizon, they began to see the island forming. The whole group let out a cheer of excitement as they were happy to finally be getting to see Sokka and Suki again.

Appa landed on the bay where they first had landed the first time they arrived on this island. They were careful, however, because Katara and Aang remembered the dangerous creature that resided in the waters. They made their way towards town and saw that many of the people were happy to see the Avatar and his girlfriend returning. They kept walking in the town until they found the building where Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors practiced their fighting styles. Once the group entered, they immediately saw Suki along with her band of warriors. She finished instructing them on a fighting move and then walked over to Aang and the others.

"Aang! I haven't seen you in forever! What brings you back to Kyoshi Island?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Well, we have some important news about me and Katara that we figured you and Sokka should know," Aang said with a sheepish smile.

"What is it?" she replied quickly.

Before Aang could speak, Katara beat him to telling her. "Aang and I are getting married," she told Suki with a slight blush on her face.

Suki had a huge grin on her face. "I can't believe it! I always knew you two would turn out fine though!" She had genuine happiness towards them.

"We were also wondering, where could we find Sokka?" Katara asked.

"Ah, he's in the house across from here. The door should be unlocked and he should be in his room."

"Thank you, we'll see you soon!"

Aang, Katara and Toph all walked across the street into what was presumably both Suki's and Sokka's house. Once they walked in, they took note of the well furnished living room, right behind it being a neat dining room and a kitchen across from the living room. Suki and Sokka must be very well revered in this town, as their home definitely reflected their status on Kyoshi Island. After taking in their surroundings they moved on up the stairwell and went down the hall. There were only three rooms on the second floor, one being a washroom, another being a guest room and the other being Suki's and Sokka's room. They went down the hall checking each room until they found his room at the end. They walked in, finding Sokka at a desk. He seemed to be writing something, either a formal letter or a legal document. He was very engrossed in his work, however, and did not even notice them walk in. At that point, the waterbender spoke up to her brother.

"Sokka! Aren't you going to greet your guests?" Katara said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

Sokka turned around immediately, catching a glimpse at the whole gang. He then gets up immediately and jumps into a big group hug.

"I haven't seen any of you in so long! Let's go down stairs everyone, we have a lot of catching up to do," Sokka said with a smile on his face.

Everyone went down to the living room and got comfortable. Sokka was very excited to hear everything that had happened in the recent years. Soon enough, he spoke up.

"So, tell me, what has happened in the past couple of years?" Sokka asked.

"Well, we've mainly stayed in Ba Sing Se as that is where the council meetings are. We are currently working on building a new city and country for all people of all nations to be welcome. It's been going very smoothly and I hope it continues on the path it has," Aang explained to him.

"Interesting, I like the idea. How have you been, Toph?" Sokka turned to her.

"Not much meathead. Just teaching the hopeless how to metalbend is all," she said nonchalantly.

After Toph spoke, Katara quickly interjected. "Sokka, we came here for a reason other than catching up on our lives. We have some news for you."

"Okay, hit me with it," he said coolly.

"Well, me and Aang have been together for quite awhile, and a few days back in Ba Sing Se he proposed to me," Katara said while blushing, "and now we are going to get married."

Sokka's facial expression changed to one of shock. He had not expected them to jump into marriage so quickly. He knew Aang was an amazing kid and that they did truly love each other. He felt as if maybe he should say something, so he said the only thing he could.

"That's great!" Sokka stated simply.

He then got up and walked over to give his sister a hug. He was really happy for her, he just feared them jumping into life commitments at such an early age.

"There's one other thing Sokka," Aang started to say, "We want you and Suki to come along with us to the South Pole to tell Chief Hakoda and plan for our wedding."

Sokka immediately replied, "Of course I'll come! And I'm sure I can get Suki to come along too."

"That's great! I figure that we can leave around tomorrow morning then?" Aang said.

"Sounds good. It'll be just like old times!"

The group had now been completely resurrected and needless to say, everyone was very happy to be reunited once again. The joy spread throughout the whole room that it was palpable to the whole gang. No one wanted the moment to end, but just like all good things, they have their shortcomings. Unfortunately, this moment took a turn for the worse. The whole group stopped their celebrating once they heard a crash outside. The group immediately rushed out the doors and looked at what had happened. Their hearts sank at the sight before them.

A giant fireball, similar to the ones launched by fire nation catapults, had seamlessly crushed the main portion of the fighting dojo across the street. The building was now ablaze, with flames licking the wooden supports that barely held the rest of the building up.

Sokka became overwhelmed with fear as he took in the fact that Suki was in there, but he was calmed once he saw the Kyoshi Warriors walk out from behind the building up to them. They looked just as confused as the rest of Team Avatar was. Still, Sokka asked them.

"What happened?" He said with anxiety in his voice.

"No one knows, it just happened suddenly," Suki said, "Aang, you weren't followed her, were you?"

"Not that I knew of," Aang said with some worry in his tone. He started wonder if possibly he had been followed.

Soon enough, that question was answered. Atop Sokka's house, cloaked in all black except for a slit for their eyes, was a shadow like figure. The person jumped down onto ground level and took a battle stance in front of everyone. The Warriors and Team Avatar both responded with taking defensive stances of their own. Aang finally spoke up.

"Who are you?" Aang yelled with the assertive tone he gets when someone has caused destruction upon others.

Without even flinching, the figure took off its mask. The gang simply looked onto the figure, faces frozen in shock and disbelief.

**Please as usual leave a review telling me what you think! I know, I'm evil for leaving an actual cliffhanger in there, but I just had to. Anyways, thanks for reading, bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey sorry for the delay on this chapter! It has been busy yet again. Anyways the identity of the person is revealed here along with some nice action! I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 6

The group was frozen solid and did not move. The expressions on their faces were in utter disbelief at what they saw before them. How could this person be out again? Why was the figure before them hunting them down? Their questions would be answered, and the person's face that used to be wearing a mask was now naked for all to see. The goatee, the jet black hair, the thin face and the muscles around his body was enough to give it away, along with the fact that this man's face was the image of genocide and destruction for the ending of the Hundred Year War. No matter how unbelievable, it was evident that it was the former Fire Lord that stood before them, the one named Ozai. Finally, Aang snapped and yelled out at him.

"What are you doing here, Ozai?!" Aang screamed at him. The anger was apparent in his voice from all the destruction he had caused.

"Oh, I'm simply just fulfilling what I should have done those few years back. If you thought that taking away my firebending would be sufficient enough to stop me then you are very incorrect. I can burn this world to the ground without it, not to say that I don't need the help of the army I have backing me," Ozai said in a matter-of-fact tone to Aang. He had a slight devious smile on his face that showed that he truly took pleasure in the pain that he caused. In fact, he did not even attempt to hide his sadistic worldview.

"None of us are going to let you get away with this, and you should know that by now," Aang said sternly to the ex-firebender.

At that point, Ozai swiftly ran towards Team Avatar, charging towards one bronze skin-toned waterbender. Aang shot blasts of air at him while Toph attempted to hit him with speeding rocks, but he deftly dodged all of the attacks and slid behind Katara. He quickly stood behind her, put his arm around her neck successfully having her in a head lock. He quickly pulled a knife from his pocket and held it to her carotid artery.

"Now, I'd suggest you put your hands and arms down, as if I get fired at with just one blast of rock or air I will not hesitate to slit your little fiancée's throat. Allow me to tell you what you will do from here that is if you wish to leave this island with the last waterbender of the South Pole. You will not stop the burning of this town, and you will allow my plan to take course here. You will get the girl back once everything and everyone is destroyed."

"You can't do this!" Aang screamed at him out of despair.

"Oh can't I though? How do you plan to stop me then? Sure you could stop these fires, but you would never risk your true love for this village. You know what the duties of the Avatar are, but yet you cannot accept the fact that your loved ones must become subordinate to your duties to the world. You thought that you were impervious to all others because you are the Avatar and are a master of all the elements and the Spirit World, yet he crumbles like a fortress made of sand as soon as you threaten his favorite waterbender. Your weakness is something this world cannot afford to bear," Ozai said in an emotionless tone.

While Ozai was speaking to Aang, Katara had secretly been waterbending the water she held in her canteen. Ozai had her hands tied up well, but she had enough leeway to bend the water. She waited for the right moment to strike, as she knew she would only get one chance. Once he had finished his tirade about Aang failing his duties, she suddenly waterbended the water onto his hands and instantly froze them, all within a second. Before Ozai could react, Katara had frozen his hands and slipped away from him. From this point the rest of the team started to create a barrage of all the elements at him. He evaded them and fell back towards the burning village. He disappeared somewhere off into the distance.

"Katara, are you all right?" Sokka said to her, his protective side showing.

"I'm alright now, but we can talk about this later. The village is going up in flames right now and we need to stop it!" Katara said in a somewhat panicked voice.

"I have an idea," Sokka said, "What if Aang and Katara went down to the bay and started to bend water from the ocean and rode Appa over the town, dispersing the water to where it was needed?"

Everyone mulled it over, and then they decided they did not have any other choice.

"Sounds like a plan Sokka," Aang said.

"Okay, go get to it, I, Suki, and Toph will go through the town evacuating people and rescuing others from the buildings," Sokka stated.

On that note, the team sprung into action and did as they planned. Katara and Aang swiftly got on Appa and flew down to the bay. From there, they waterbended a massive floating blob of water and kept it suspended in the air as Appa flew back to town. Meanwhile, Sokka, Suki, and Toph went to each building making sure they were empty. They were almost done when Sokka found a small child stuck inside a house. A support beam had fallen and was on fire. It divided the child from the exit. Sokka, using his quick thinking, went outside and found a window leading to where the child was and busted it open. He climbed in and rescued the kid.

Appa was hovering in the middle of the village as Katara divided up pieces of the floating blob of water. They distributed the water as needed and were successful in putting out the fires of the village. At this point, Appa landed and the gang regrouped at the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. The village leader, Oyaji, went out with a big portion of the village population behind him too. He approached the Avatar.

"What has just happened to our peaceful village?!" He asked in a confused and upset manner.

Aang replied in a solemn tone, "We came here to pick up Sokka and Suki as we had personal matters to attend to, however it appears that an old enemy followed us here…" He looked down at the ground and then ran away, off towards the bay.

"Aang!" Katara shouted and then ran after him.

The warriors approached the remainder of the group and stated, "We will take care of the rest of the clean up here. We realize it wasn't your fault, and we thank you for saving our village from complete destruction."

It was slightly after dusk, and the stars and moon were visible in the night sky. The moon was full, and it gave off an immense amount of light that pierced the darkness of the murky black of the sky. It also illuminated Aang's path as he went and sat down at the edge of the bay. He stared off onto the never ending sea, the reflection of the stars and the moonlight bouncing off of the surface. He honestly felt as if he brought this terrible atrocity to them, that he was the cause of it. He did not want to deal with the pain in everyone's eyes. Before he had too much time to ponder it, he felt someone's arms wrapping around his neck from behind him. He felt her soft skin against his, and saw the starlight bounce off of her tan skin. He did not move, but instead just stood still on the ground and enjoyed her comfort. Finally, she spoke up.

"Aang… this wasn't your fault, and you know that," she said softly.

"It was though, I should have notice him following me and this could have been avoided. Not to mention you almost were killed by him…" Aang replied.

"I had it under control though. I know you worry about me due to situations like this, but I can take care of myself."

"I still don't want you to get hurt due to me… And what he said about me placing you above the world, he was right. I can't give you up for the world and he exploited that to destroy a village. I don't know what to do about all this, Katara, I just – "

At that moment, Katara turned his head around and kissed him passionately.

"Aang, I love you. I know you'll sort this out, but I don't want myself to ever interfere with your duties. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to be with you, and I know now that I was always meant to be with you forever," Katara said before kissing him again, but this time they ended up on the ground. Katara was positioned on top of Aang and their mouths opened to allow access for each other's tongues. They held their embrace for what felt like a few minutes before they broke apart. Katara got off of Aang and instead got on the ground and lay down next to him. Aang took Katara's hand and held onto it tightly, not wanting to let go. Together they lay on the beach of the ocean, staring off onto the ever expanding cosmos and universe, feeling so infinitesimal, yet comforted because of the fact that they had each other.

**Well for it being my first time ever writing action scenes I'd say I did a pretty good job. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I think it was evenly balanced with conflict and Kataang. Anyways, you guys are the real judges so tell me what you think by leaving a review! If you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, either leave it in a review of PM me! Until next time, take care.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I hope you enjoyed finding out who the mystery man was! Also, since last chapter was really heavy on action, this chapter is kind of a fluff chapter to give you a break. Anyways, here comes the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 7

The couple had fallen asleep on the soft sands of the beach that night under the moonlight. It was roughly an hour past midnight when Aang woke up again, his arms loosely around Katara's head. He gazed off onto the sea, watching the moon and the stars, observing the beauty of the night. The moon's light hit the surface and reflected off of it, creating a beautiful and almost perfect image of evening. He wanted to be like this forever, the shear love he felt right now for his fiancée added in with the awe he had been struck with by nature made him forget about the events that had just taken place that day. He was content in his happy thoughts, but soon enough just like all dreams, they must end. However, no one ever said when, so Aang continued being a dreamer for just a while more.

He felt movement in his arms and soon enough he saw his favorite girl's eyes start to open and stare into his. She simply gave a small smile at the sight of her beloved and she got up on top of him and gave him a soft kiss. She pulled away just slightly so that she could talk.

"Couldn't sleep?" Katara said sincerely and softly to Aang.

"Ehh, I woke up just a little earlier and started to look out to the sea and the stars and got caught up in their beauty," Aang said quietly.

Katara looked up and out towards the ever expansive ocean. "Aang, it is truly beautiful," she said with her voice trailing off.

"Yet in my eyes its beauty could never surpass yours," He said to her with a distinct confidence.

She smiled up at him and put one of her hands up to his cheek and then was pulled back in for another, more passionate kiss.

After awhile, Aang pulled back and looked into her eyes once more. They were truly beautiful; her irises sharing the same deep oceanic blue color as all the other members of her tribe. Aang felt like he was staring into the sea every time he stared into her eyes, and they always calmed him down, like the sound of waves gently crashing against the beach.

No matter how much they wished for the moment to last just a little longer, both of them knew in the back of their minds that they would need to return to the village very shortly. After all, Sokka most likely would freak out on them if they did not return until morning, and neither wanted that to happen. They both gave each other a look and a nod of the head, a sign that they both understood that they needed to go back. It only took a few minutes for them to walk from the bay into the village. Once they arrived, they noticed how empty it felt in the middle of the night. No one was outside, and none of the windows were lit up. None, except for Sokka's home, most likely due to their absence. They approached the front door and opened it, walking into the living room. Just as they suspected, Sokka was waiting in the room, sitting on one of the couches.

"Where were you two?" Sokka said as soon as they came in, not really giving them a chance to say hello. He had a somewhat annoyed tone in his voice, but was still overall calm.

Katara decided to speak for them both, "After Aang stormed off, I chased after him and found him at the bay. We talked and… fell asleep kind of on accident."

Sokka then gave them both a weird look and after a period of silence he replied to her claim, "I hope that is _all_ that happened…"

At that moment both Katara and Aang turned a beet red color all over their faces and stared at him with wide eyes, not believing he had just uttered what he had. It took a moment for Katara to finally open her mouth.

"Sokka! We did not do that! And further more I'd really enjoy it if you didn't ask about what we do alone together either!" She yelled at him furiously. She then grabbed Aang's hand and uttered one more line, "Now if you will excuse us, Aang and I are tired and are going to bed." She then ran off upstairs with Aang shortly behind her, both of them hand-in-hand. They ran to the guest room and closed the door. Katara then plopped down onto the bed and Aang got on too, lying next to her. They soon moved into a position where they both were lying on their sides and were looking at each other.

"Sorry about Sokka back there…" Katara said quietly.

"Katara I didn't care what he thought we did back there. Sure, we haven't gotten that intimate and it definitely isn't any of his business to be asking, but to be fair it would raise a lot of eyebrows to others if a soon to be married couple just disappeared for the night alone," Aang said to her.

"I guess you are right, but still… you would think he would know us better than to just go ahead and do it," she stated to Aang. The last part of her sentence had been said so quietly it was nearly inaudible.

"Well, Katara, we are going to be married soon… so us doing that really isn't that far off…" Aang nearly looked away after saying it. He felt slightly uncomfortable talking to her about being intimate, mainly because they had never gone that far before or even discussed it.

Katara was turning slightly red again, even though it was barely noticeable in the darkness of their chamber. It was not the conversation that made her blush it was the thought of being intimate and making love to her fiancé. She always thought it would be awkward and slightly improper to discuss it openly with him, but down inside her she longed to do it, and she had longed to do it for awhile now. Katara knew that Aang wanted to do it too, but also knew that it would be against their traditions and further more would go against Aang's morals as well.

"Aang, I know it isn't that far off. I don't ever want you to think that I don't want to do this with you, as I do. But, doing it before marriage might be a bad idea, and overall I'll need more time to think this over," she said to him.

"I will gladly wait with you, Katara. I love you, and I want to preserve this for the right time just as much as you," the airbender replied to her.

"I love you too, Aang and thanks for understanding."

The two of them kissed, got undressed for bed, and went to sleep. They knew they would be behind on sleep for the next day of travels, but it did not bother either of them. They were happy for the conversations they had shared, and were content.

**So I hope you enjoyed it! Honestly this was one of those chapters where I simply wrote what came to mind rather than planning out what to do. I hoped you enjoyed it and remember to leave me a review to tell me how I did! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, sorry about the delay. A combination of technical difficulties and writer's block kind of delayed this chapter a lot. Anyways, I don't want you to get the idea that the series is dead.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 8

The soft rays of the sun started to shine through the curtains and onto the two benders still asleep in their bed. It was just after the dawn, and the big burning orb in the sky was just high enough to illuminate their room. Soon enough the avatar woke from his slumber, and stared at his beautiful soon to be wife. He truly never wanted to get out of bed right away, at least not without her. He knew he needed to in order to do some last minute packing however. He rose from his bed, put on some robes, and swiftly left the room, going outside to put the remainder of their belongings back onto Appa.

Katara woke up on her own, feeling the warmth of the sunlight against her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked out across the bed, surprised about the fact that her beloved was not present. She soon enough rose out of bed too and began to freshen up for the day. She knew that the traveling would take at least two days so she wanted to be ready as soon as possible for their departure. She finished up in the washroom and went out to get Sokka and Suki. Sokka was waiting downstairs and soon enough greeted her.

"Good morning," Sokka said nonchalantly.

"Good morning Sokka, do you know where Aang is by chance?" Katara asked.

"Oh he should be outside packing the remainder of your belongings," He replied.

"Okay, go and find Suki and Toph and get them ready. We'll be leaving once Aang finishes packing."

Katara then exited out the front door and found her fiancé airbending their luggage onto Appa. She approached him and kissed him on the cheek. The unexpected gesture caught Aang off guard causing him to drop a box that he was airbending.

"Looks like someone might want to concentrate on their airbending," Katara said in a playful voice.

Aang shot her a sarcastic look, "If only _certain_ people wouldn't distract me."

At that moment Sokka arrived bringing with him the two other girls that would be accompanying them on the rest of their travels. At least until they arrived at the Southern Water Tribe at least. Luckily at this point it was only about a two days travel to Sokka and Katara's homeland.

"Well, if everyone is ready then we better start traveling," Aang stated to the group.

Team Avatar boarded Appa once again, even though it had been awhile since the entire team had been reassembled. In fact, the last time all of them had been together was at the Jasmine Dragon those many years back right after they had defeated Ozai the first time. That moment was eventful in more ways in one, at least to Aang and Katara it was. The kiss and embrace they had shared in front of the setting sun had been the start of something so enormous, so phenomenal that to this day both of them regarded that day with much nostalgia.

Everyone took their respective places on Appa, with Sokka, Suki and Toph on the saddle while Katara sat with Aang on Appa's head. This had become a norm for whenever the waterbender rode with Aang on Appa. Once they were flying high in the skies, Sokka called out to Aang.

"Hey Aang, when exactly do you think the wedding date will be?" Sokka asked.

"I'm not sure, but both Katara and I would like it to happen relatively soon. Maybe in about a couple of weeks?"

"A couple of weeks!? That sure seems quick then," Sokka replied.

"Oh it is not that bad Sokka. We have been together for years now, I think we can both handle marriage," Katara interjected into the conversation.

"Hey, I'm just saying, there's no need to rush into -"

The water tribe warrior never finished his thoughts as the fabric of his clothing was singed suddenly by a flying fireball. The group was now in a state of alert, not sure what had just happened, yet they were ready to strike at the perpetrator if one was to arrive. Within a minute, an old Fire Nation blimp appeared to them, one that was used during the second coming of Sozin's Comet. They were no longer used today, however, as the Fire Nation seldom used war ships anymore. The identity of the attacker was Ozai. He had a small group of firebenders behind him, which were the actual creators of the fireball that nearly burnt Sokka to a crisp. The war ship then got close enough to Appa in order for Ozai to speak clearly to them.

"Give us all one reason why we shouldn't blow your airship out of the sky right now?" Aang said in a stern and slightly angry tone.

"Why shouldn't you? Well maybe because I came here to give you some very important news of course," Ozai stated.

"You fired upon us!" Katara spat furiously at him.

"Oh I assure you that was merely to get your attention. Now, do you want to hear what I have to tell you? I am positive you would not want to miss one word of what I know," He repeated to them, now with a maniacal smile across his face. The group was still in a defensive stance towards him, yet they were starting to worry about what exactly he knew. Soon enough they broke and gave in.

"What? What possible news do you have to offer us?" Aang said in a still firm and growling voice.

"Well let's just say, you may want to make a detour from your current course. You know, the Fire Nation is a lovely place to visit this time of year, not too hot yet very refreshing. Also, you might be surprised to see what has happened to that country since the last time you visited." Ozai answered him enigmatically, not wanting to give too much away to the group.

"Enough with your riddles! What are you not telling us?" Aang shouted at him. He was no longer the young kid who defeated him the first time, but instead was a much stronger young adult now. He was very intimidating too when he needed to be.

"Please, young Avatar, tell me, when was the last time you heard from my son? In fact, when was the last time you ever received a message from the Fire Nation in general?"

And at that moment it hit Aang. He realized something, something he had always overlooked. Whether it was the absence of a Fire Nation representative for the past couple of months or it be the fact that he had not received a letter from either Zuko or the Fire Nation in general at all for the same amount of time.

"Wha- What have you done to Zuko and the Fire Nation?" Aang said loudly but in a somewhat shaky voice.

"Why, that's the surprise Avatar. I will give no hints other than a short 'vacation' in the Fire Nation might be a good idea right now. Also, do not consider chasing us, as we will hit you next time and besides, you wouldn't want to waste your time when the Fire Nation might possibly need an Avatar right about now. Now, it was nice talking to you all again, have fun everyone!" Ozai said in a sadistic tone to them all with an evil smile upon his face. At that moment he and the other firebenders threw several smoke balls at the gang and flew away while Team Avatar was distracted and coughing.

Aang eventually airbended the smoke away, but by the time he did the airship was already long gone, and there was no way of catching up. Besides, he knew that they needed to visit the Fire Nation now, regardless of the fact that he wanted to become a husband to his favorite girl in the world.

"So... what do we do now?" Sokka asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We need to go to the Fire Nation. Whether he is lying or not, we cannot risk the well being of Zuko or an entire nation," Aang replied.

"Aang, what if it's a trap?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, that is quite possible," Sokka also said to Aang.

"And what if it is? We just need to be careful, like I said, I'm not about to risk hurting an entire country."

Aang then went back to Appa's head and started to change his course to the Fire Nation. Once everyone else was settled into Appa's saddle, Katara sat next to Aang as well.

"Aang, what are we going to do about our wedding? We were going to go tell my dad and everyone but..." Katara said to him quietly.

"Katara, I promise we will get our wedding as soon as we deal with this Fire Nation fiasco. Trust me, after this incident it is striaght to the Southern Water Tribe," Aang said to her. He had his arms wrapped around her waste, and after saying what he did he leaned in and landed a quick kiss on her lips.

"IIIIIICK! Oogies!" Sokka screamed at them.

"Oh grow up Sokka!" Katara replied as the rest of the gang started to laugh.

Even after the confrontation with Ozai, the group still retained its optimistic outlook. They were unbreakable, weathering every storm and defeating every obstacle that came their way.

**Please everyone leave a review to tell me what you thought! I knew the last couple of chapters were kind of slow so I wanted to speed it up here. Anyways tell me what you think, I'd love to know!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, here comes another chapter. Thank you everyone for your reviews, they help out a lot! Anyways here you go!**

Chapter 9

Team Avatar flew towards the Fire Nation in almost complete silence. All of them were fearful for what might await them on the island country. No one from the gang had visited the Fire Nation quite recently, yet they still remember the layout of the capital and the Palace atop the mountain. The group feared there being rebel groups, or even a civil war started by Ozai's madness. No matter what they tried to prepare for, the simple truth was that they would not know what they were about to face until they actually arrived.

Katara was still sitting next to Aang, the two of them close together. Aang had an arm wrapped around her waist with the other hand holding the reigns. After flying for a few hours, Aang addressed Katara.

"Katara, I need to ask you something before we arrive at the Fire Nation," he said calmly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Whatever happens, I want you to be careful and not to get hurt. I fear this being a lot worse than we can imagine currently," he said with a sullen tone.

"Aang, I can take care of myself, I am a waterbending master after all," she retorted in a quiet voice.

"I know, but besides on the shores, the only water you will have while in the capital will be the small amount you carry in your canteen. I'm afraid they will target you because of this fact," he said, not wanting to offend her. He was just simply and genuinely concerned for her well being.

"Be that as it may, I'm always going to be by your side, regardless of the risk. I'll be right beside you the entire time," she replied.

Aang stared into her eyes. He knew she would remain obstinate on the issue, even if he was worried for her well being. "Okay sweetie."

The rest of the trip went by without much dialogue until they could see the harbor of the Fire Nation Capital. Royal Caldera City was not visible yet as it rested within the crater atop the mountain. However, there was an interesting feature that did catch their eyes. The Gates of Azulon were up, the same obstacle that the nation tried to use to hamper their invasion on the Day of Black Sun. The only difference now being that it was not on fire currently, but it blocked all access to the harbors nonetheless.

This worried the group, making them wonder as to why Zuko would block access to the harbor. Luckily, due to them traveling by air, they simply flew over the gates and went on towards the docks. As they neared the land they also noticed the build up of soldiers on the shores. They descended onto the shore and landed there. Everyone got off of Appa and walked up towards the plaza. Soon a group of soldiers approached them.

"You are in a restricted area! All access to the Fire Nation Capital is currently blocked due to increased security threats. Please leave now or we will have to arrest you," the soldier stated simply.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm the Avatar and a good friend of Firelord Zuko. We need to see him immediately as we believe he might be in danger," Aang said.

"I'm sorry, but you must leave. If you need to contact the Firelord, it must be done via a courier or messenger hawk."

"Very well, you leave me no choice..." Aang said quietly. Then suddenly he struck his foot against the ground, instantly earthbending a cone around each of the soldiers, imprisoning them inside of the rock structures he had created.

"Sorry, but this is an important message," the Avatar said to the head soldier. He then turned to Appa and sent the great bison away. After that he looked at the group. "Well let's head on into Caldera City, however I imagine it won't be easy."

"Don't worry, we got your back," Sokka told him.

"They won't see us coming Twinkletoes," Toph said as encouragement.

"Now, I imagine that one would not simply walk into the Fire Nation capital, so how about we take some disguises?" Aang said while pointing at the soldiers that had been subdued.

Luckily, there were enough soldiers that everyone could take a uniform and sneak in. Once the soldiers' uniforms had been successfully taken and everyone had changed into them, they moved onward towards the plaza. They had detained the soldiers in a remote location. Aang earthbent a wall, keeping the imprisoned soldiers out of sight from the plaza. The gang then walked up to the plaza, and started to head up towards the mountain. The disguises were working at the moment, but there would most likely be another checkpoint at the entrance of the city.

As the gang walked through the plaza and the commoner settlements at the base of the mountain, they noticed the aggressive build up of Fire Nation troops. If they were not mistaken, it looked as if they were preparing for another war. Aang knew Zuko would not attack another nation again, so he worries that maybe the Fire Nation is going through internal struggles at the moment.

The group soon scaled the mountain to the entrance of the city. Just as they expected there was another checkpoint station located at the entrance of Caldera City. Before approaching the soldiers, Aang turned around and talked to Team Avatar.

"Look, we all just need to act normal, I'll tell them we have orders to go protect the Fire Nation Palace," Aang said.

"Sounds good, and if they find out we are frauds?" Sokka questions?

"If anything goes wrong, we attack, but we do not make a big scene. We simply take out the soldiers and take off for the Palace." Aang says.

The group approaches the checkpoint and Aang looks with a straight face towards the soldier.

"We have orders to patrol the Palace," Aang says confidently.

"No one goes in or out of the city without proper papers present. You wouldn't happen to have them with you?"

Aang freezes momentarily, but then thinks of a way to stall them. There were two soldiers present at the checkpoint, and Aang thought of a way to detain them both.

"Why yes I do, let me get them out for you," Aang said. He then pretended to reach into a pocket inside his armor and then swiftly moved his hand out and used airbending to launch the first guy into the second guy. Once they were both on the ground, Aang earthbent a box around them, leaving them imprisoned as well.

"Okay we do not have much time until the Palace is told of the missing soldiers. They will move Zuko to another location for sure once that happens. Since we cannot spare any lost time, I will go and speak to Zuko myself using my staff to get there. As for everyone else, he is the bison whistle. Blow it and wait for Appa to pick you up. Once you are on him, just circle the island discreetly until I come out," Aang explained.

Everyone was on board except for Katara. "Aang, I want to go with you. You need more than just yourself in case something goes wrong."

"Katara, I can't -"

"No! I am going, I can handle myself Aang. And you need help too anyways," Katara cut him off.

"Fine, everyone else go and wait for Appa. Katara, hang on."

Aang took out his glider and grabbed Katara by the waist and took off. The couple went soaring across the city, watching the reactions of the citizens below. Almost everyone looked at them in complete shock, not expecting the Avatar to be in Royal Caldera City. Fortunately, they flew across the city fast enough that none of the soldiers had time to firebend fireballs at them. Aang and Katara found the Palace and landed inside the courtyard, right by the main doors. Soon enough, the two benders were caught in a battle with a group of soldiers. Aang used a combination of airbending and earthbending to subdue them while Katara took some of the guards out using the water whip. They ran inside and found the entrance to the throne room soon enough. Aang used a quick gust of wind to knock one soldier out while Katara used a quick water whip on the other one.

Both Aang and Katara entered the throne room and found Zuko, sitting on the throne listening to his military advisers. Zuko immediately looked and made eye contact with Aang and Katara, and as soon as he did so he adjourned the military council. The couple walked up to the throne where Zuko then got up to greet them, however not in a very warm matter.

"Aang, you haven't exactly come at the best of times," Zuko stated to him.

"I can tell, we might have had to take out a few of your soldiers in order to reach you..." Aang said in quiet voice.

"Oh great..." Zuko said sighing.

"But we had a very good reason to barge in on you like this, and we ran into someone that you might want to know about," Katara explained.

"Who?" Zuko asked.

Aang hesitated slightly before answering, "Your father."

**Dang, that sure was a lot of beat 'em up action to have to write about. I enjoy writing action scenes more, but don't worry, I'll find time for some more Aang and Katara scenes soon. Remember to review everyone, the feedback always helps me out a lot!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so I'm extremely sorry for this outrageously delayed chapter. It has been nearly 2 months since the last update! A combination of technical difficulties and just really bad writer's block is really the culprit along with just enjoying the summer. Anyways, I shouldn't take this long to update with upcoming chapters. Again, sorry!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender and all rights belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 10

There was a brief period of silence after the mentioning of Zuko's father. Once he had taken in the fact that Ozai had escaped, he immediately questioned Aang and Katara.

"How did he break out of prison? We had him under maximum security with many guards…" Zuko said.

"Well, he did tell us something regarding the Fire Nation too when he pulled us over," Aang stated.

"What did he say?" Zuko said in an anxious voice.

"He just kept on being extremely ambiguous, hinting that the Fire Nation was in trouble and needed me… Zuko, what is going on?"

Zuko takes a few seconds to collect his composure and to think of a way to explain the political turmoil that the Fire Nation has fallen into since he last saw Aang, which was nearly a year ago if he recalls correctly.

"Aang, the Fire Nation is not in the best of shape, and I myself have been struggling to be the leader it needs. Some noblemen still cling to the idea of an all powerful Fire Nation and have started to conspire against me by supporting rebel groups such as the one my father currently leads."

Aang frowned slightly, and then replied to Zuko. "What have you as Firelord done to try to stop these people from conspiring against you?"

Zuko scoffs at Aang's question, "What can I do? Sure I can try sending royal soldiers to quell their assembling, but what will it accomplish? All it will do is just stir the pot more and make them more aggressive. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure some of my own guards are a part of these ultra-royalists…"

"That would explain how your father got out, if some of your troops on the inside are working for him they must have busted him out," Katara pointed out.

Zuko looks at Katara with a countenance that could only express surprise.

"Katara, you are exactly right, I need to get to his old prison cell right away then!"

At that moment, Sokka, Suki, and Toph all enter the throne room and start running up to Aang, Katara and Zuko. Just a few seconds later about ten royal guards bust in after them.

"Sir, these people ran through our blockades and illegally entered the city! They need to be detained!" the guard stated.

"Let them go, these people you see in front of me are friends of the Fire Nation and will not be treated as criminals. Now, please excuse us."

"As you wish, my lord"

After the guards left, Sokka turns and looks at Zuko. "Hey! What's the big deal? We had to sneak in and fight a ton of your soldiers just to say hi!" Sokka yells at Zuko.

"We've had to step up on security for… certain reasons" Zuko says back to Sokka.

"Yeah well you could have told these guys to step down when they see some old friends of yours coming to visit captain hothead," Toph stated.

Zuko looked at the group of his old friends, all of them staring back at him wondering why he had been so paranoid. Sure, his father had broken out and their had been some uprisings, but was it not a little bit much to even try to detain his own friends?

"Yeah I guess you are right, I'll make sure everyone knows from now on not to arrest you. Anyways, since you all will be staying here for a little while, allow me to show you to your rooms," Zuko said.

At once the whole group started to follow Zuko out of the throne room and down a hallway towards the area of the palace that housed the bedrooms. The palace itself was massive, with many sprawling hallways, all decorated beautifully with tapestries and murals. Finally they found their way to everyone's rooms. Zuko directed Sokka and Suki to their rooms, Toph to her room, and then was about to assign separate rooms to Aang and Katara before Katara butted in telling him otherwise.

"Actually Zuko, Aang and I would prefer to stay in a room together, if that is quite alright," she told the Firelord.

Zuko simply gave a slightly surprised look. He had not visited them in a while and thus did not know how far the couple had truly grown together. "Very well, that should be fine then."

Zuko was about to walk away until Aang shouted out after him.

"Zuko! Wait up, there is one other thing we needed to tell you. Something regarding Katara and I," the airbender said.

Zuko stopped abruptly in the middle of his walk cycle and turned around. He looked at Aang with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we were originally going to simply send you an invitation via messenger hawk once we had gotten to the South Pole, but since we are here we might as well tell you now," Aang said with a smile on his face. He looked over to Katara who was standing right at his side and looked up at him, smiling just as he was currently. "Katara and I are engaged."

Zuko's expression suddenly changed from one of interest to one of happiness. He walked up to Aang and did something quite unlike his usual self: He gave him a hug. Aang did not have the slightlest hint as to how he should react considering the current situation. Zuko, after all, was not known for being the type to give hugs. After it was disbanded, Zuko turned to Aang. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to investigate the site of his prison break. As for the rest of you guys, you all are probably exhausted from the traveling. How about you take the rest of the day off? We will start discussing plans tomorrow," Zuko said in a matter of fact tone.

"Sounds good to me," Aang replied.

Zuko then walked off while the couple then retreated to their quarters to go unpack. They opened up the door and looked at their room and it was quite opulent, at least by their standards it was. The room had a big bed against the far wall, along with nightstands on both sides. There was a bathroom on the left side of the room and to the right of the bed there was a walkway out to a balcony that overlooked the royal city. The room was also decorated with hanging tapestries and artwork.

"Wow, Zuko sure knows how to give us the royal treatment," Katara stated, taking in the whole room.

"I can't say that I can complain. Can you help me unpack?" Aang said to his soon to be wife.

The two unpacked their things until they were comfortable in the room. Aang then walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the entire city. The sun was beginning to set behind the hills the engulfed the city inside the basin that it sat in. The streaks of sun bounced off the roofs of the many beautiful buildings below. The clouds in the sky began to give off a pink hue as the low sun was beginning to fade. He faced northbound, with the setting and orange sun to his left and the darker blue sky starting to twinkle with the many stars and moon in it to his right. The scene was one he wanted to capture in his mind forever.

Then his favorite girl in the world came out and joined him. She walked up to him from behind, snaking her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. Aang started to smile as he realized who it was. He then turned around and faced his true love. They locked eyes for what seemed like forever but of had truly only been a minute. Finally, Aang and Katara both leaned in, and kissed each other meeting each other halfway. The locked lips for what again felt like an eternity, Aang slowly gliding the tip of his tongue against her lips, until she opened her lips allowing the two of them to then explore each others' mouths. Aang had his arms wrapped around her hips while she had her arms snaked around his neck. Their tongues continued to keep performing their dance for a few more minutes, until finally they slowly broke the kiss.

Katara looked into Aang's eyes, taking in his whole expression. He looked happy, genuinely happy at this moment. She never thought she would have been nearly good enough to be with someone like him, yet she always knew that he loved her unconditionally. Finally she softly whispered the three words they always enjoyed hearing from each other.

"I love you," Katara said, her mouth barely an inch away from Aang's ear.

"I love you too," Aang said warmly back to her.

The couple retired back into their room, just as the sun had completely retired below the Earth's horizon. The last rays of the sun gleamed off the backs of the lovely couple just before they were completely hidden from sight. The war may not have completely been finished, and while problems did still persist throughout their world, Aang and Katara both knew that they could be solved and that they would be fine as long as they had each other.

**So please give me your honest opinion of this chapter. I myself have no idea how I did as I felt a really bad block with this chapter and on top of that I felt a little out of it writing it. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the kataang moment at the end. Figured there hasn't been much kataang in recent chapters so hope you enjoyed. Remember to review as it really helps me out and lets me know how I am doing!**


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